Desert Eagle Suletan Khan

Upon receiving the military order, Prince Zhao, Biligendalai, immediately led 70,000 cavalry and infantry from Wan'an County toward Nan'an Prefecture. The newly established empire was filled with an unstoppable momentum, and the army marched at an extremely fast pace.

"Your Highness," Biligendalai reported as he rode forward, "Hilgen and Ghent have sent messengers saying that the Wu army, numbering about ten thousand, is holding out in the strategic locations of Dayou Mountain, Shangyou City, the Gong River, and the south bank of the Heng River. Their fortifications are quite well-constructed." The commander of ten thousand households, Sonam Tsering, reported that Hilgen and Ghent had rendered meritorious service in coercing the Jiangxi governor, Dong Weiguo, to surrender in Nanchang, and were retained in their original positions. Following the tradition of the Great Wei Kingdom, the newly surrendered troops led the charge, and Biligendalai dispatched them to the forefront.

“Oh, the enemy has deployed their forces on the south bank of the Gong River and Heng River, so Dayu (the seat of Nan’an Prefecture) must be undefended,” Biligendalai thought for a moment and then smiled. “Our army has many cavalry, and they can move swiftly. You and Baitalazhi will lead ten thousand cavalry to bypass Guiyang and take Dayu directly, while I will lead the army to capture Dayu City.” Baitalazhi, like Xiergen and Gente, was a Manchu general who had surrendered, but he had surrendered to the Imperial Guard earlier and was more trusted. His four thousand Manchu cavalry were also very elite and had indeed made many military achievements.

"Yes," Sonam Tsering replied and left.

The seasoned Prince Zhao, no longer the impulsive youth he once was, commanded his army to advance slowly and steadily towards Shangyou City. Hearing of the approaching Wei army, Zhou Qiu, the military commander of Nan'an Prefecture, led ten thousand Wu soldiers to defend Dayou Mountain with fierce resolve. Biligen Dalai remained unhurried, ordering the four garrisons—Cao Chunzhong (General of Long'an), Liu Hanchen (General of Shunqing), Xu Xueyi (General of Songpan), and Zhao Yue (General of Jiaxing)—to take turns probing the mountain.

By detouring through Guiyang County in Huguang to Dayu, the capital of Nan'an Prefecture, they bypassed the obstacles of the Hengshui and Gongshui rivers. Although the journey was slightly longer, how could it possibly stop the swift and powerful cavalry of the Wei army? In just two days, they reached Nan'an territory via Guiyang. General Baitala of Huiningchi, eager for merit, led four thousand Manchu cavalry towards Niedu Town, northwest of Dayu City. The Wu army was not unprepared. General Wu Youming, who remained in Dayu City, had a total of four thousand troops, one thousand of whom were stationed in Niedu Town, and a temporary beacon tower had been erected. However, the Wei army moved with incredible speed, so fast that the defenders were routed before they could even light the beacon fires.

Not content with their initial victory, Baitalaji led his army straight to the walls of Dayu City. Upon hearing of the vanguard's triumph, Sonam Tsering, fearing his own glory would be overshadowed, urged the entire army to hasten their advance. Ultimately, they were too late; the Dayu garrison commander, General Wu Youming, surrendered with three thousand men.

Wu Youming was originally the commander-in-chief of the Fubiao Army under Dong Weiguo, the governor of Jiangxi. After Dong Weiguo surrendered to Weiguo, he wrote letters to his former subordinates in various places to persuade them to surrender in order to protect himself. When he saw the eight words "The situation is settled, do not make a mistake" in the letter, Wu Youming, who had already been terrified by Wu's army, was moved. When Weiguo's army came to the city, he opened the gate and surrendered without saying a word.

The victory came so easily that even the renownedly brave Sonam Tsering felt unsatisfied and led his army to capture Chongyi and Nankang counties. Upon hearing of the trouble in the rear, Zhou Qiu, the military commander of Nan'an Prefecture who was defending Dayou Mountain, was terrified and hastily abandoned Dayou Mountain and Shangyou City, leading 10,000 troops to flee to Ganxian County.

Just then, Prince Zhao, Biligenda, who had previously seemed unhurried and meditative, suddenly moved, personally leading ten thousand cavalry in a fierce pursuit. The Wu army was routed, with only three or four out of ten escaping back to Ganxian. Zhou Qiu himself was killed by General Xiergen of the Imperial Guard with a single spear thrust. Immediately afterwards, Prince Zhao captured Xinfeng and Longnan counties in succession, completely severing Ganxian's connection with the outside world.

"Good! Good! As expected of my son, he has a fierce fighting spirit!" Upon hearing the good news, the Great Khan of Lotus laughed heartily. At this time, he had arrived at the city of Ganxian. He immediately ordered Biligendalai to garrison Nan'an Prefecture and Xinfeng County to block the enemy from Guangdong from coming to Ganxian. He also ordered Prince Sumur of Liao to lead 30,000 troops to Ruijin to block the enemy from Fujian from coming to Ganxian.

Only then did the Great Khan feel relieved and leisurely pick up his pen to write:

Commanding a large army to break through the ironclad defenses of Ganzhou

Molten iron poured on the city wall made it as solid as iron.
The setting sun casts its glow on heroes' blood. A true man commands a million soldiers.
Even a mighty city is nothing to be trifled with.

This poem reflects the confidence of the Great Khan of Lotus: before his "million strong army," there is no pass in the world that cannot be breached.

Absolute confidence stems from absolute strength. Excluding the guards sent to block the attack, the attacking guards numbered 400,000, while the city's defenders numbered only 46,000 to 47,000.

The Zhang River and the Gong River converge to form the Gan River. The imposing city of Ganzhou was built on its banks, with a circumference of thirteen li (approximately 13 kilometers). It was fully equipped with a moat, battlements, gate towers, guard posts, ramparts, and artillery emplacements. It had five gates: Xijin Gate, Zhennan Gate, Baisheng Gate, Jianchun Gate, and Yongjin Gate. Except for Zhennan Gate, which was not directly on the river, the other four gates were all built along the riverbank. From Xijin Gate in the northwest, the city followed the Zhang River to Bajingtai, and then from Bajingtai, it followed the Gong River through Yongjin Gate and Jianchun Gate to Baisheng Gate in the east. It was truly surrounded by water on three sides, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

Don't be fooled by the Great Khan's boast in his poem that he has a million soldiers and seems to disregard the small city of Ganzhou. Having spent half his life on horseback, how could he be so shallow? After setting up camp, he took Grand Secretary Liu Haogu and, under the protection of guards, inspected the enemy situation around the city.

After circling the city once, the Great Khan's face darkened. "This city is truly difficult to attack! Four of its five gates are located along the river, and although the Zhennan Gate on the south side is not near the river, it has two layers of barbicans and three gates. It's going to be tough, really tough!"

"Although Your Majesty says it will be difficult to fight, in my humble opinion, you are clearly confident in your plans," Liu Haogu said calmly. No one knows a disciple better than his teacher.

Looking at the white-haired Liu Haogu, Suletan, his temples streaked with gray, felt a surge of emotion. He had always harbored a strange affection for his mentor. He chuckled, "Master Liu truly understands me! I've observed the situation. While Zhennan Gate is the most fortified, it's not directly on the river, so it can be the main target. The other gates on the river, Xijin Gate and Baisheng Gate, have barbicans and can be used for secondary attacks. Jianchun Gate and Yongjin Gate lack barbicans and can be the main targets. Yongjin Gate, in particular, is both a city gate and a dock, making it easy for ships to dock. If we use warships with cannons to approach and bombard it, it will surely be incredibly effective!"

"Your Majesty is wise and insightful! Yongjin Gate has been one of the most prosperous ports in Ganzhou since the Song Dynasty. In addition, the ferry crossing outside Xijin Gate is also a bustling port." Liu Haogu praised him repeatedly and began to explain the history of Ganzhou to His Majesty, just like the tireless young man who taught more than forty years ago.

The Khan, in his fifties, bowed his head in reverence, just like the lively, adorable, and mischievous child he had been forty years ago. Suddenly, the old child raised his whip, pointed to a stone tower on the northeast corner of the city wall, and asked, "Master Liu, do you know what that is?"

"This is the Eight Views Terrace, which, according to legend, was built by Kong Zonghan, the 46th generation descendant of Confucius. When Kong Zonghan served as the prefect of Ganzhou, to alleviate the annual flooding of the city by the Yangtze River, he reinforced the stone foundation of the city walls with molten iron, rebuilt the earthen walls into brick and stone walls, and specially constructed a stone tower on the city wall at the confluence of three rivers. He also painted the beautiful scenery seen from the tower into a 'Map of the Eight Views of Ganzhou,' hence the name 'Eight Views Terrace,'" Liu Haogu explained with a smile. (End of Chapter)